AND WASN'T it bloody fantastic for those of us who love that red team?
Yes, the game against Man U (the other red team) isn’t going to happen for us but, if all the world’s a stage, then Adelaide have played their part beautifully.Let’s face it, we were an understudy that was never expected to even get a call into the spotlight and yet we’ve fronted up in Japan and taken it to a Gamba with passion, commitment and a fair degree of skill.
Yes, again our technical deficiency was highlighted, but.... there were also some great passing moves from the Reds. We played with pace and heart and – with just a little bit of luck and skill – we might just have nicked it. Travis Dodd had two brilliant chances to score and missed them. He also made them.
It’s kind of pointless going over the game again. We lost. We played well. We have a great game against Al Ahly, a magnificent team, to look forward to. The question is, what have we gained?
In my opinion, a huge amount.
The ACL and CWC campaigns have made Adelaide into team that is unrecognisable from the one who finished up last year’s A-League. Or that started this one. Reputations have been made – and unmade. Young players have been blooded and proven their worth. Older warhorses and over-rated youngsters have had difficult questions asked of them. All up, Adelaide now look like a team who know how to play together – and who want to play together.
The fire of combat tempers teams into cohesive units. This season – to date – has done that for us.
As Brenton’s last blog stated, Jamo is an emerging star. Barbiero has cemented a spot. Cornthwaite has emerged as a real rival for Costanzo in the middle (where he belongs). Mullen has taken the right back spot for his own. Cassio has revealed where he likes to play. Reid is a revelation. And it doesn’t stop there.
On Sunday night two young strikers showed that, with a bit of trust from their manager, they were prepared to go out and take on the big guys. Younis nearly scored. Malik announced that it’s not just Qld that have quick young attacking players lying in wait.
But, as I said – Been There, Done That. One chapter’s nearly over and then it’s back to the real competition – the A-League. We’ve survived the fire with an almost injury-free squad and I’m salivating at the thought of Adelaide taking that team strength and flexibility back into the league.
Earlier this year I wasn’t sure we could make the Grand Final, let alone win it. Now I’m feeling more confident. Quite confident in fact. It’s be kind of nice to look back on a Grand Final win next year and say: “Been there, done that”.